Teacher Appreciation

I planned to blog about our beach trip and Memorial Day weekend tonight but it has been a crazy day and I just do not have the energy.  Also, Craft has randomly decided to stop sleeping through the night (more on that later) and it has been a rough few nights of torture with that little stinker so I'm exhausted.  In other words, that long-@$$ post will have to wait for another night!

This is Lilly's last week of preschool for the year, and I am so sad about it. We were so fortunate that she has had the best teachers, and she loves them so much (as do we!). I just know I'm going to cry, I wish they could move up with her next year.  

All of the parents got a note from the program director just prior to teacher appreciation week a few weeks ago which said that the program decided a long time ago that the huge amount of parental support and involvement throughout the year makes them feel more appreciated than any gifts ever could, so please not to send any gifts for teacher appreciation week. I wanted to send something anyway but honestly could not get it together in time to do anything, so I decided that I'd give Lilly's teachers something at the end of the year instead to let them know how much we love them and how much we appreciate them loving our child.  

I pinned something on Pinterest a while back that involved a potted plant that was housed in a planter covered in chalkboard paint that said (in chalk) "thank you for helping me grow."  That pin was the original inspiration behind our gift, but after I told Carney about it and we brainstormed she helped me come up with this instead: 

Are those cute, or what?!  And they were pretty easy to make. We took a trip to Michaels and Home Depot today to pick up supplies and let Lilly help choose flowers ("she" chose dwarf sunflowers with urging from Carney and myself because they're adorable).  Carney put two coats of white spray paint on the planters (I did the first coat but I sprayed too close and was on the verge of ruining them so Carney took over) while Lilly was napping and when she got up we used her thumb and made the pink and yellow thumb prints. The thumb printing was by far the hardest step in the whole process - Lilly didn't understand why she couldn't use her paint brush to paint and had to be bribed with ice cream, oy. After she went to bed I drew the stems and wings with paint markers and then sealed the pots (spray paint sealer which dried in approximately 10 seconds) and planted the flowers. I think they turned out so cute!!!

We did bees for Ms. B (get it? B/bee?!):

 

And we did flowers for Ms. Joanne:

The "garden flags" with the notes contain a small gift certificate (I went with Belk in case you're curious. I know Ms B loves it and so do I, and I figured they were more likely to spend the gift card on themselves at Belk instead of on their kids!).

So, there you have it!  I am so pleased with the way these turned out and can't wait for Lilly to see the finished product when she wakes up.  BIG props to Carney for all of her creativity and help!  I hope Lilly's teachers will love them too (and that they will understand the amount of will power it's taking for me to actually give these away because they're so cute!).  They really were very easy and would make great gifts for anyone special in your child's life. So, you're welcome. :-)

Teacher Appreciation

I planned to blog about our beach trip and Memorial Day weekend tonight but it has been a crazy day and I just do not have the energy.  Also, Craft has randomly decided to stop sleeping through the night (more on that later) and it has been a rough few nights of torture with that little stinker so I'm exhausted.  In other words, that long-@$$ post will have to wait for another night!

This is Lilly's last week of preschool for the year, and I am so sad about it. We were so fortunate that she has had the best teachers, and she loves them so much (as do we!). I just know I'm going to cry, I wish they could move up with her next year.  

All of the parents got a note from the program director just prior to teacher appreciation week a few weeks ago which said that the program decided a long time ago that the huge amount of parental support and involvement throughout the year makes them feel more appreciated than any gifts ever could, so please not to send any gifts for teacher appreciation week. I wanted to send something anyway but honestly could not get it together in time to do anything, so I decided that I'd give Lilly's teachers something at the end of the year instead to let them know how much we love them and how much we appreciate them loving our child.  

I pinned something on Pinterest a while back that involved a potted plant that was housed in a planter covered in chalkboard paint that said (in chalk) "thank you for helping me grow."  That pin was the original inspiration behind our gift, but after I told Carney about it and we brainstormed she helped me come up with this instead: 

Are those cute, or what?!  And they were pretty easy to make. We took a trip to Michaels and Home Depot today to pick up supplies and let Lilly help choose flowers ("she" chose dwarf sunflowers with urging from Carney and myself because they're adorable).  Carney put two coats of white spray paint on the planters (I did the first coat but I sprayed too close and was on the verge of ruining them so Carney took over) while Lilly was napping and when she got up we used her thumb and made the pink and yellow thumb prints. The thumb printing was by far the hardest step in the whole process - Lilly didn't understand why she couldn't use her paint brush to paint and had to be bribed with ice cream, oy. After she went to bed I drew the stems and wings with paint markers and then sealed the pots (spray paint sealer which dried in approximately 10 seconds) and planted the flowers. I think they turned out so cute!!!

We did bees for Ms. B (get it? B/bee?!):

 

And we did flowers for Ms. Joanne:

The "garden flags" with the notes contain a small gift certificate (I went with Belk in case you're curious. I know Ms B loves it and so do I, and I figured they were more likely to spend the gift card on themselves at Belk instead of on their kids!).

So, there you have it!  I am so pleased with the way these turned out and can't wait for Lilly to see the finished product when she wakes up.  BIG props to Carney for all of her creativity and help!  I hope Lilly's teachers will love them too (and that they will understand the amount of will power it's taking for me to actually give these away because they're so cute!).  They really were very easy and would make great gifts for anyone special in your child's life. So, you're welcome. :-)

Rockabye Baby

So, now onto happier topics!  I have the sweetest Daddy in the whole world!  He and my Mom have been cooking up a surprise for Dan and me and Geronimina. 

We didn't register for a bassinet, because a while back I asked Mom if she'd saved mine and she said yes.  I told her I'd like to get it reupholstered and use it for baby girl, and she said she would take care of it.  I was so excited that she'd kept my bassinet from when I was little, because normally Mom isn't a "keeper" -  Dad and I are the pack rats of the family.  So, the fabulous Marcy, who is also making our bedding, was going to reupholster the bassinet for us.  Yay!

Due to aforementioned complications that have arisen in the pregnancy (and bed rest), we had to change our Christmas travel plans so that we could be at home in Raleigh.  This was our year to spend Christmas with the Baums, and we'd planned to go have Christmas with the Eakers after, but when bed rest was ordered, Mom, Dad and Sydney (and Dundee!) came to visit us in Raleigh.  We were sad that we couldn't be in Charlotte and be with Katy and Josh, but happy that part of my family could come for a visit, even though it was a short one. 

When Mom walked in the door shortly after they arrived, the conversation went a little something like this:

Mom: So, I have good news and bad news.
Me: Oh no.  What's wrong?
Mom: Well, the bad news is, we threw your bassinet out years ago.  It was kind of a piece of crap.  Plus, it got left in the garage and the cats were camping out in it.  I promise, you didn't want it.
Me: Oh well, that's not a big deal at all, we can get a bassinet easily.
Mom: The good news is...

And then my Dad brought this in:

Is that not the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?!  My Dad built a cradle for all of his grandchildren, and Baby B will get to try it out first.  To say that I boo-hoed is an understatement (Mom did too).

Side view

Bottom.  I know you can't see, but it says, "To my beloved grandchildren.  Love, Pawpaw, December 2011." (Sobs)

This cradle is seriously GORGEOUS.  The pictures absolutely do not do it justice.  They bought the mattress already, and Mom and I went and registered for some cradle sheets while she was here.  She is having the bedding made of white eyelet material.  I am so touched that Daddy did this for us, and I know that generations of grandchildren to come will use and love it.  I know we will cherish it forever, and I'm so thankful that he built it. 

I shall end the post with a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Daddy posing with his masterpiece

Katy acting her usual foolish self ;-)

Layla testing out the goods for her sister

Unrelated, but REAL cute picture of Layla and Dundee snuggling while they were here

Can't wait for baby girl to use her new cradle from PawPaw Eaker!

Sarah

More Surprise Presents!

Tonight's blog is gonna be a short one...mama's exhausted, ladies (and gents?).  My parents are coming into town for the weekend to help me get ready for Steph's shower, and since they're arriving tomorrow I was a cleaning machine tonight.  Dan has spoiled me so much since I've been pregnant (he's the best!) that I cannot remember the last time I had to thoroughly clean, so to say that I am bone tired is an understatement.  At least the house is sparkly and smells nice!  Well, the downstairs anyway.  I didn't make it upstairs because my "10 minute" rest turned into a "remainder of the night" rest...whoops.  Let's hope Mom doesn't go into my bathroom or she'll be appalled.  :-)

Grant and Emily dropped by tonight to give Baby Geronimina a gift, and we are so excited about it! 

I tried to get creative with the photography, so that's why the picture sucks, but I am so excited about this!  It is a REALLY cute bib (aren't the giraffes sweet?!) and the sleep sheep.  Funny enough, she bought this before she realized I'd registered for it - she said she gave me things that Olivia is obsessed with.  The sleep sheep is this cute little sheep:

It attaches to a crib, car seat, etc. via velcro, so it's portable.  Inside of said adorable sheep lies a removable sound box that plays four different sounds.  It also automatically shuts off in 23 or 45 minutes - whichever you choose.  I am so excited about both of these items and I know Baby B will love them both - thanks Grant, Emily and Olivia!

In other news, have you heard about One Kings Lane?  My sister-in-law, Mere, turned me onto it a while back and I've become obsessed.  I've bought quite a few things from there.  Occaisionally, like today, they will have a baby sale.  I ended up (with the money nazi's Dan's approval of course!) with the following:

The cute factor on these is seriously unfair.  The above blanket and hooded towel are made by Tourance and normally sell for $52 and $50, respectively.  I snagged them for $25 each.  I think that is still pretty expensive for a towel and blanket, in addition to the fact that I'm pretty sure the owl blanket is for boys as it was in the boys section, but I couldn't resist.  Can't wait for them to get here!  If you've never checked out OKL before, do yourself a serious favor and create an account - you can thank me later.  And while you're at it, buy me some of the pillows that were on there today.  I die!

Ok folks, it's off to bed for me, after I take the sleep sheep off of the registry...back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow!  Well maybe.  I have a work dinner and I might be too tired, so we'll play it by ear.  :-)

Love!

Sarah

Gift Post in Pictures

I am so behind on gift posts and thank you notes, so since I'm still pretty wiped from vacay and have an early gym appointment in the morning, I shall show you in a short photo post all of the recent things Baby Geronimina has gotten.  She is so loved, and I can't wait for her to meet our wonderful friends and family!

For some reason this picture won't load the correct way, even though I rotated it before uploading.  Anyway, Aunt Andrea gave us this sweet little hat that her friend makes.  Love it!

Gift from PawPaw (my Dad) - Geronimina will be ready to cheer on those Mountaineers at her first football game!

Is this the sweetest frame you've ever seen?!   Aunt Niecey gave it to us, and I can't wait to put it in the nursery.

Y'all KNOW I love cupcakes.  Cousin Erica picked this out just for Baby B, and I know she will love it as much as I already do!

Tried to get creative with my photos here - sweet little shoes from Pat and adorable Tutu from Ryan & Erin.  I die!

Toy from Joyce.  This little thing is so cute, I know Baby B will love playing with it!

Lee gave this to us - his sister-in-law makes them.  I wish you could feel this blanket, it is literally the softest thing I have ever felt.  It's gorgeous, and so cute!  It's called the Ultimate Baby Blanket, and I cannot wait to use it.

Clothes and Bibs from my Mom and Dad (not sure if Mom's decided what she wants to be called yet, so for now we'll call them PawPaw and Grandma Jeanne).

Again, thank you all so much for your generous and thoughtful gifts.  This little girl is already very spoiled!

Last but not least...remember how I was allowed to buy "a few things" since we were on vacation?  Well we visited the outlets in Palm Desert and were in luck, as there were lots of excellent sales.  I won't bore you with all of my finds, but instead will show you just one photo of what I got (Let's just say "a few things" accidentally turned into "I am worried my suitcase will be overweight."  Oopsie!):

Can't wait for Baby Geronimina to model all of her sweet new outfits for all of you.  She's going to be soooo stylish!

Bedtime for Layla and I - we can barely keep our eyes open.  See you tomorrow!

Sarah

Presents Galore! Part Deux.

Have I mentioned how loving, supportive, caring, and downright wonderful our friends and family are?!  Baby Geronimina is already so loved - I have said it before, and will say it again - it absolutely overwhelms me.  I can't wait for her to meet all of you. 

We have been showered with gifts ever since we found out we were expecting - we honestly have the greatest friends and family ever.  Since I am still sick (and therefore exhausted), I am going to do a (mostly) picture post to show you what we've gotten since the last "presents update!" 

Right after we found out that Geronimina is a "she," we had dinner with our neighbor besties Bo & Meagan.  Dan works with Bo, and I've gotten to know them both well since we moved.  We LOVE having them as neighbors, because they are so much fun, and we have really enjoyed getting to know them better.  I think (hope!) we will be friends for years to come!  Not to mention that Layla and their dog, Fender, have total crushes on each other.  We can't walk by their house (and vice versa) without Layla stopping at their gate to whine for Fender.  Anyway, they gave us the following:



Sweet little Cabbage Patch cow



"daddy says NO DATING until i'm 25!"

Cutest ever, right?  I had a cabbage patch doll, Dottie, growing up and wouldn't go anywhere without her - isn't the cow adorable?  And the onesie is hilarious - and so fitting.

The same day, Dan brought home the sweetest gift from another work friend, Daniel.  I've gotten to know Daniel and his wife, Mary-Peyton, through my Dan.  They just had the sweetest little baby boy named Whitaker, and I can't wait to meet him!  Here was our "YAY IT'S A GIRL!" gift from the three of them:

MY WORD the cuteness.  Can't be contained!  Thanks guys!

Next up is my girl Leah, who you may remember not too long ago sent me the Burt's Bees Mama Bee gifts.  LC (I guess you are LL now?!?!?!), you are spoiling this baby and I rotten!  Anyway, I came home Friday to this little gem of adorableness (not a word, I know), and I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven:

BABY GLITTER TOM'S!  IN MY FAVORITE COLOR!  Seriously.  I die.  And the pictures can't even do them justice.  If you have never heard of Toms, you should check them out - I am a big fan of their one for one program.  For every pair of shoes or eye wear purchased, they donate a pair to a child in need.  Pretty nifty, right?  There is a hilarious story behind said Toms that I will have to tell you another time - it's kind of long-winded.  Maybe tomorrow?  Auntie Leah, thank you SO MUCH for the adorable gift.  We LOVE it, and Geronimina told me she can't wait to rock them to match Mommy's pink glitters!

Probably one of the greatest gifts from this past week was that I got see my best girlfriends from college over the weekend.  We live close to one another, relatively speaking, but far enough away that we don't see each other every day or week (like I would love to), so when we do get together it's a real treat.  Allison, April, April's daughter Ava, Megan and I met in Durham at Mad Hatter Bakeshop and Cafe (we missed you Amanda and Sheila!) for breakfast, and I had such a great time catching up.  Girls, if you're reading, can we PLEASE make a conscious effort to meet more often?  Anyway, no offense to the rest of you, but the best part was hanging out with Ava:

...even when she showed me her mad face:

Cute, ain't she?  As well as smart, hilarious, and very well-behaved.  Love all of you girls, let's PLEASE do it again soon!

In closing, this has nothing to do with being showered with gifts by our amazing friends and family, but look where I got to park today when I went to Babies R Us to pick up some gifts for Carrie's work baby shower tomorrow:

It's the little things, I guess.  Off to bed for me, still trying to sleep off this sickness!

Sarah

Oh, the cuteness!

Tonight's will be a quicker post than usual, because I'm feeling under the weather today.  Sadly, I think I am getting that nasty cold that everyone I know seems to have had recently.

For those of you who have been following her blog, this is going to be somewhat of a repeat of what my bestie posted about yesterday.  Hadley gave Baby Geronimina her first bff gift!  Drool over the cuteness:

PLEASE look at how sweet they are!  I was absolutely thrilled when Steph gave them to me, and we have been drooling over them ever since.  Even Dan, who could normally care less about shoes, talked about how cute they were when he saw them.  Additionally, the sizes are 0-8 months, so Baby B will get a lot of wear out of these guys.  Can't wait to find some cute outfits to match!

Not much on the agenda this weekend...tonight I'm trying to rest and relax so I'll feel better while Dan is at a concert with some friends.  Tomorrow morning, I'm meeting some besties from college for breakfast.  Not sure about our plans during the day - we've talked about either going to the baby store to look around (not register yet, just look at a few things and get our bearings) or maybe test drive some Mommy-mobiles - and then tomorrow night we have a dinner party.  Sunday, it's business as usual: no plans allowed to be made outside of church because there is football to be watched.  Although, we might try out a new place for brunch, yum.

Hope everyone has an excellent weekend!  I can't WAIT to see closeups of Baby Hadley from her photo shoot tomorrow in Concord.  :-)

Love!

Sarah

PRESENTS GALORE!!!

Baby Geronimo, I wish I could express to you how loved you already are!  We have been absolutely overwhelmed with all of the congratulatory words, love, prayers, support...and presents, too!  As I've said before, I've refrained from buying anything for Baby B so far (at least until we know the sex!), but at the rate we're going, he/she is going to need a bigger room to keep all of this stuff in!  We got some awesome stuff this week - seriously, we have the best friends and family ever. 

Remember Leah from yesterday's post?  Girls night out, gender test, just got married in May and moved away from me?  Yep, her.  On the same night as girls night out - Thursday night of last week - this little gem arrived on my doorstep (in case you are wondering, I purposely positioned them beside the oh-so-gorgeous housewarming vase she bought us):

This stuff is seriously awesome, I wish you could smell through my blog because it smells so good!  The belly balm is wonderful, not greasy at all and is so soothing to your skin. I also like the fact that all of the products are all natural, so I don't have to worry about anything gross or toxic seeping through my skin to get to Baby Geronimo.  I will be honest that I have not yet tried the leg and foot creme or nourishing body oil, but they smell equally as delicious and I can't wait to try them out.  Perhaps if my husband is following along this would be a good opportunity for him to offer me a massage and foot rub?  :-)  I'll put these items on my "product review" agenda for discussion at a later date.  In the meantime, if you'd like to try them for yourself, you can find them at Amazon and Target.  Thanks Leah, I am so excited about this gift!  It was so thoughtful and sweet of you to send, we love you!

The next gift came from one of my Mom's girlfriends, Pat.  She came to see me over the weekend - Mom and I were hanging out while the rest of the family went bowling - and it was so nice to catch up!  Pat's daughter, Leslie is maybe one of the funniest people you'll ever meet, and has the two sweetest kids, Sam & Abby.  Anyway, so Pat came to visit and gave Baby Geronimo the following:

SO precious.  It is a three-pack of onesies - the top one is yellow and has the cutest little animals on it, and the other two are white but one has a duck on it and one has a bear.  LOVE.  Pat told me that she bought the shoes first (she LOVES shoes, woman after my own heart!) and then decided she should get something to go with said shoes.  This 100% sounds like my logic when I'm out and see a pair of shoes that I need - buy the shoes first, find something to go with them later (Side note: if you think that is  a problem, you may never want to read this blog again.  I have a serious lack of will power when it comes to shopping, and am brilliant at justifying any and all ridiculous purchases.).   Pat, thank you so much for the sweet gift, I cannot wait for Baby B to wear all of it!

The last gift of the week was from my little sister, Sydney:

SERIOUSLY.  Could those little Appalachian State University booties possibly be ANY CUTER?!  For those of you who don't know us, Dan and I are both alumni of Appstate and lllooovvveee all things ASU.  The booties are so tiny and cute, I can't wait for Baby Geronimo to wear them!  Syd was very sweet, when she went out shopping with a girlfriend over the weekend she saw these and decided that Baby B had to have them, so she bought them.  Of course, when she relayed this story to my Mom, Mom could not stop crying over how sweet Syd was for buying us a gift with her own money.  I swear, possibly Mom is the one that's pregnant - she is unstoppable with the water works!  Anyway, Syd, thank you so much for buying us this awesome gift, we are so excited for Baby Geronimo to show his/her ASU pride.

Do we have the best friends and family ever, or what?  We feel so blessed to be so loved, and I can't wait for everyone to meet our little bundle when he/she arrives.

That's all I've got for tonight - I'm home for one night before we head to Boone tomorrow after work (Sooooooooo excited to catch up on Trueblood.  Yummy.).  I am going to TRY to post another blog tomorrow evening, but I know we won't have internet in the mountains so it may be Sunday before I get to post again...so keep checking back!

Toodles!

Sarah

A Day of Surprises!

The 13-week update will have to wait until tomorrow because I got some surprises today and I'm so excited!

First, I know I have said it before but I seriously have the best husband in the whole world.  Not only did he do the grocery shopping and pick up my prescription on the way home from work (yes!  you read right!  he ran errands for us!), but when I arrived home I was greeted to this wonderful surprise:

The absolute best part about aforementioned surprise is that I didn't even ask for these! I kid you not, I finished my last single-serving of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream yesterday, and I know I didn't mention that to him.  And then today while at work I was thinking, gosh oreos would be delicious (I polished a bag of those off last week...whoops).  I swear, I did not ask for either, even when he asked if I wanted anything from the store.  And yet they still managed to make their way into my pantry/freezer.  He is SERIOUSLY awesome.  Could it be that he is trying to make Baby Geronimo favor him before he/she even comes out of the womb?!  Either way, I think I'll keep him.  :-)

The second surprise came in the mail (Side note: don't you just love getting mail?! It's like Christmas in the middle of the week.  Just me?  Oh.).  I came home to find the following package in my mailbox:

I guess that's a lie, the above picture is of what was actually inside the box, but whatever...details!  I saw that the return address was from "chewbeads," and stood at the mailbox scratching my head for five minutes trying to figure out what I'd ordered that I didn't remember ordering (I am pretty sure it is evidence that I have a serious problem that more than once I have gotten things in the mail that I didn't remember ordering.  Don't even get my husband started.).  I spent the next five minutes coming up with a story to tell Dan of why I needed said item that was ordered.  Seriously, he is a bank account nazi, so I was thinking to myself, I wonder why he hasn't asked me what I bought yet?  When we first got married, before he convinced me to make the biggest mistake of my whole life join bank accounts, I would order things and have them sent to my bestie's house to hide them from him, and then just leave them in my trunk until he was MIA and I could sneak them in.  True story.  I have a problem.

ANYWAY, none of that matters, back to business.  So I finally figured out that I had not, in fact, ordered anything, and that this was a present.  I LOVE PRESENTS!  Who could it be from?  I know, the anticipation is killing you. Here's my loot:

It was jewelry from our good friends Rich and Eliza (THANKS GUYS!)!  But not just any jewelry...kid-friendly jewelry!  The bracelet and necklace pictured above are from chewbeads.  I have never heard of these before, but they are seriously so cool.  Their slogan is, after all, "mommy chic, baby safe."  Here are some fun facts about this jewelry:

• Fashionable teething jewelry
• Beads are made of 100% silicone (similar to pacifiers & nipples)
• Soft on babies gums & emerging teeth
• No BPA, PVC, phtalates, cadmium, or lead
• Easily cleaned with soap & water, also diswasher safe (!!!!!)
• Necklaces have a breakaway clasp for added safety
• Necklaces are a great sensory tool to help your baby focus while nursing
• Bracelets are a colorful reminder for which side you just nursed

Seriously.  Could this jewelry possibly be ANY MORE COOL?!  I am SO excited about this gift, and cannot wait to wear the jewelry.  Rich and Eliza, thank you so much for thinking of us...you are too, too sweet for words and I can't wait to be a fashionable Momma!  Ladies, if you have girlfriends who are pregnant or have toddlers this is a GREAT gift idea, too!

The oh-so-fabulous husband discussed previously has just informed me that dinner is ready: BLTs with avocado, yes please!  Tune back in tomorrow for the 13-week update, and later in the week, a product review (you won't want to miss it, I swear).

Love!

Sarah

Best. Friends. EVER.

I seriously have the best friends in the whole world.  They have all been so excited for us when we've told them our news, and I am so grateful for their friendship, love and support.  It is enough to bring me to tears just thinking about it (although I will say, it's easier than normal to bring me to tears these days...I know that's hard to imagine). 

Anyway, the specific girlfriends I shall rave about today are my co-worker besties: Andrea, Carrie, Nicole and Stephanie.  Three of the four of us are pregnant right now, and we have all been so excited for each other.  These girls seriously make my days so much better, and I'm so grateful to have them in my life.  I am also grateful for the awesome and extremely thoughtful (and generous!) gift they gave me yesterday!

I was brought up to cherish  music, and I have a real love for it.  My Mom started singing to me when I was in her womb, and as a result all three of her girls share her love of music.  There is nothing that compares to hearing Mom and her sisters sing four-part harmony - it will give you chills.  With that said, I know I want Baby Geronimo, boy or girl, to share my love of music.  Enter this awesome contraption:

I know, it's totally silly-looking, but it's seriously awesome.  It is a speaker that you wear around your belly - it has an extender so it will expand while you turn into a whale with your growing belly!  You can plug your iPod right into it, and no matter how loud you turn the sound up, it will always play at the optimal sound to not hurt your baby's ears.  I would not say it is the most stylish baby item, but it seriously is the coolest contraption ever.

I originally read about it on Project Baby Blog - actually, I guess the way it actually happened is that Steph found it on Project Baby Blog and sent it to me, before she knew I was pregnant, because she was considering getting one for herself.  Anyway I've been toying with the idea of getting one, but I have plenty of time because I read that the baby couldn't really hear it until around 16 weeks anyway, and I'm only 12 now.  So imagine my surprise when MY GIRLFRIENDS BOUGHT ME ONE AS A BABY GIFT AND GAVE IT TO ME YESTERDAY!  I am BEYOND excited and can't wait for the next four weeks to pass so I can try it out.

Steph told me that she e-mailed Dan and told him to act like it was the dumbest thing he'd ever seen if I talked to him about it.  He followed her instructions exactly.  In fact, I am pretty sure his exact response when I sent him the link was, "Just turn the radio up.  Or maybe even stand closer to the speakers.  OR...sing."  He didn't even budge when I tried to guilt him with, "BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN BOUGHT ANYTHING FOR THE BABY YET!" 

So, I am so excited to use this, and will report back at a later date on how it goes.  I can't wait to make a baby playlist - I've got some good ideas in mind.  It says you can even record bed time stories and play those on there, which is an excellent idea.  This is going to be so much fun!

To my girlfriends: thank you so much for the wonderful gift and for being the best friends a girl could ask for.  I love you all!

Dan's brother and his wife, Chris and Andrea and the cutest kids ever (as previously seen here) are coming to visit us this weekend, and we're so excited.  More to come later on their visit.

Happy Friday everyone!

Sarah